Electric shavers have a stationary screen or shear plate behind which a driven blade is reciprocated to shave the user by shearing the individual hairs which project through openings in the shear plate. In the type of shaver to which this invention applies, the blade has a plurality of cutting edges formed thereon and is reciprocated while pressed firmly against the inner face of the shear plate. After repeated use, these cutting edges become dull and the inner surface of the shear plate becomes rough. When this happens, it is conventional practice to replace the blade and shear plate. This is both an expensive and a wasteful practice.